Poison // Current

FDA: Melamine okay in baby formula

The FDA today said that it was ok to have melamine in baby formula. Melamine is a plastic manufactured by Monsanto chemical company which dates back to the 1950 and the petro-chemistry revolution. Melamine is commonly used in counter tops and for the interior of buses.
Melamine is an organic base and a trimer of cyanamide, with a 1,3,5-triazine skeleton. Like cyanamide, it contains 66% nitrogen by mass and, if mixed with resins, has fire retardant properties due to its release of nitrogen gas when burned or charred, and has several other industrial uses. Melamine is also a metabolite of cyromazine, a pesticide. It is formed in the body of mammals who have ingested cyromazine. It has been reported that cyromazine can also be converted to melamine in plants.

Melamine combines with cyanuric acid to form melamine cyanurate, which has been implicated in the Chinese protein export contamination.

Melamine is combined with formaldehyde to produce melamine resin, a very durable thermosetting plastic used in Formica, and melamine foam, a polymeric cleaning product. The end products include countertops, dry erase boards, fabrics, glues, housewares and flame retardants. Melamine is one of the major components in Pigment Yellow 150, a colorant in inks and plastics.

Melamine also enters the fabrication of melamine poly-sulfonate used as superplasticizer for making high-resistance concrete. Sulfonated melamine formaldehyde (SMF) is a polymer used as cement admixture to reduce the water content in concrete while increasing the fluidity and the workability of the mix during its handling and pouring. It results in concrete with a lower porosity and a higher mechanical strength exhibiting an improved resistance to aggressive environments and a longer life-time.

Now doesn't that sound like a healthy ingredient for your child's baby formula?

Less than two months after federal food regulators said they were unable to set a safety threshold for the industrial chemical melamine in baby formula, they announced a standard that allows for higher levels than those found in U.S.-made batches of the product.

Food and Drug Administration officials on Friday set a threshold of 1 part per million of melamine in formula, provided a related chemical isn't present. They insisted the formulas are safe.The FDA today said that it was ok to have melamine in baby formula. Melamine is a plastic manufactured by Monsanto chemical... more

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Jail for Reporting Poison Animal Feed

Once the owner of a private company, Ms. Wang Haizheng is now an appellant leading a vagrant’s life to avoid revenge, because she and her husband reported a company that was producing poisoned animal feed.

In a SOH interview on November 9, Wang described how she escaped being chased by about five to six men in Beijing with the help of other appellants on October 24. “I sensed danger and immediately ran when they gave me that threatening look. They also tried to stop a taxi I was in but failed.” Wang added the men were actually in a police vehicle.

Wang came to Beijing to appeal for her husband Mr. Gao Songlin and to find a lawyer to represent him.
Protecting Society Can Land You to Jail

Gao tipped off the local regime authorities that a large feed company was producing poisoned animal feed. However, for this information, he was framed and sentenced to four years in prison by the local authorities in August 2007.

“Shijiazhuang City has China’s largest animal feed producer and wholesale operation, but the biggest manufacturer is producing poisoned feed,” said Wang.

Gao used to work as the General Sales Manager for Feilong Animal Medicine Corporation. Gao reported the company’s crime, and the Ministry of Agriculture shut down the company. However, it changed its name to Dashan Animal Medicine Corporation and continued business-as-usual without any government interference.
Carcinogenic Additives

Gao discovered that the company added the carcinogenics thyroprotein and melamine to its pig and chicken feed products.

“Thyroprotein can speed up the growth of a pig, and it’s cheaper than fish powder. A piglet can quickly reach a weight of 100 kilograms using such carcinogenic feed, but it takes one year without such additives. The feed additive has a special flavor that lures pigs to eat more feed and it wants to drink and sleep thereafter, thus it shortens the growth period.” said Wang.

According to Wang, the company bribed local police and the court with about one million yuan (approximately US$145,500) to throw her husband into jail. Because of her repeated appeals to the Beijing National Appeals Office, the Shijiazhuang City police followed her to Beijing to apprehend her.Once the owner of a private company, Ms. Wang Haizheng is now an appellant leading a vagrant’s life to avoid revenge,... more